Waikato Botanical Society Newsletter No. 43, December 2018 President’s Report December 2018 Here we are almost at the end of another year! If you detect a different voice in this President’s note, then you are not imagining things. A few months back our elected President Kerry Jones stepped down (or should that be “abdicated”?) to pursue a work opportunity in the South Island, and I have stepped in meantime to keep things ticking over until the next elections at our AGM in April. It is with some pride that I look back on what has been a full and interesting programme of Bot. Soc. events this year. We ended on something of a high note at the beginning of December with a celebration of the Society’s 30th Anniversary. There has been some talk as to whether we are actually 40, but I am assured by those who diligently worked their way through all the old records, that it was the Botanical Club that kicked off in 1978 and the Botanical Society which came into existence in 1988. Nice to see old and not-so-old members at the gathering (I’m not being ageist here – I mean recent and not-so-recent members!). There was quite a bit of work involved in making the event happen, so many thanks to all those who were involved in organising/running it. We also close out the year with an excellent series of evening talks behind us. Thanks to all our guest speakers who delighted audiences with stories botanical from all over the place, including the South Island, Secretary Island, New Zealand’s sub-Antarctic islands, the Hamilton Gardens, Mt Pirongia, the Chatham Islands, and northern Spain. Again, a big thanks to your Committee who made these talks happen; not only wrangling the speakers, but also arranging the venue, the equipment, the cuppa and snacks, and the gifts to speakers. We can look forward to another interesting line-up of talks for 2019….watch this space! On the field trip front, it has also been a busy and interesting year, with members turning out in all weathers to get their fix of field botanising. To name just a few, we’ve explored 1 places way up in the north of the Coromandel Peninsula, across the waters of Kawhia Harbour at Te Maika, seldom-botanised remnants of the Mamaku and Kaimai Forests, and peat lakes in the Waipa District. These trips are a really key part of what the Botanical Society is all about and they are always enjoyed by those who participate. Many thanks to all those who gave their time this year to organising and leading trips. “The Threatened Plants Garden at the University of Waikato continues to thrive under the care of the Bot Soc. Thanks to all those who regularly give their time to weeding and general maintenance, and especially thanks to Liz Overdyck and Linda and David Watson for instigating (and actioning) the recent garden upgrade/makeover. I encourage any of you who haven’t been to visit recently to do so – it is looking great!” So, here’s wishing you all the very best of the season. I look forward to seeing you at a Bot. Soc. evening meeting or field trip sometime in the New Year. And on a final note, some light reading to encourage you onward in your botanical journeys – a favourite of mine written by Berton Braley way back in 1929 Catherine Written by Berton Braley, Science News Letter, 1929 There should be no monotony Any why some spots have notany. In studying your botany; It helps to train You sketch the plants in Botany, And spur the brain – You learn to chart and plotany Unless you haven’t gotany. Like corn or oats – You jot down notes, It teaches you does Botany, If you know how to jotany. To know the plants and spotany, And learn just why Your time, if you’ll allotany, They live or die – Will teach you how and what any In case you plant or potany. Old plant or tree Can do or be – You learn, from reading Botany, And that’s the use of Botany! Of woolly plants and cottony That grow on earth, And what they’re worth, 2 Committee Members December, 2018 Interim President: Catherine Beard [email protected] Secretary: Wyne Johns [email protected] Treasurer: Mike Clearwater [email protected] Trip Co-ordinator: Antoinette van der Weerden [email protected] Newsletter Editor & Night Talks: Linda Watson [email protected] Webmaster: Catherine Beard [email protected] Facebook Editor & Night Talks [email protected] Committee members: Catherine Beard, Thomas Emmitt, Monique Hall, Linda Watson, Antoinette van der Weerden, Rebecca Yeates Leslie Road Conservation Area th Sunday September 9 Combined Waikato/ Rotorua Botanical Society trip Led by Paul Cashmore ( Species list in appendix. Thanks to Catherine Beard) On a wonderful, sunny ,September Sunday, fifteen Waikato & Rotorua Botanical Society members met at the Te Waihou (Blue Springs) carpark on Leslie Rd. off S.H.28. We headed further up Leslie Rd to explore the ‘never before’ botanised, D.O.C administered, Leslie Rd. Conservation Area. At 226 ha the large block bordered both sides of Leslie Rd. and offered access to a variety of habitats near the roadside. The reserve was bordered by farmland, exotic plantations, and indigenous forest in the Kinleith forest on the edge of the Mamaku plateau. The area has been seldom visited by botanists so a species list was soon underway. 3 It was rather hard going due to the frustrating tangle of vines of Rhipogonum scandens, supplejack. (see below ) There were, however, many wonderful mosses, liverworts and ferns which the experts took delight in identifying. Getting ready to start on the uphill climb into the bush. You might recognise our very special participant. And uphill it was. The canopy was dominated with large specimens of tree ferns especially Cyathea medullaris, (mamaku), or black tree fern. As the area had been extensively milled only a few large trees were present. Beilschmiedia tawa, (tawa), Litsea calicaris, (mangeao) and Knightia excelsa ,(rewarewa) were seen and evidence of regeneration of these were noticed, especially Knightia excelsa. (see below) By the time the morning tea stop was announced we were more than ready to replenish ourselves. We were so lucky to have a wide range of enthusiasts on the day, those just starting on their botanical knowledge and those experienced, skilled botanists ready to share their knowledge. 4 Catherine Beard explaining how to make a bird whistle from the base of a Dianella nigra leaf. Regenerating shrubland along clearing The clearing made a great lunch spot and we felt the heat of the sun after such a After morning tea the going was a little cold start in the bush. easier and soon we reached the ridge where a track had been cleared to service Paul Cashmore, our leader for the day, power lines. was constantly looking for the very best way down the steep incline to the road Large fronds of Blechnum novae- below. zealandiae (kiokio) spilt on to the rough path and we were able to spot a solitary Down we went with a few slippery Podocarpus halii (Hall’s totora ) , a large moments. The rimu-tawa-pukeatea forest mature tree of Litsea calicaris (Mangeo); surrounded us. A large deciduous 8-10 m Cordyline indivisa (mountain cabbage tree high Fuschia excorticata (Kotukutuku) was ); Pomaderris amoena and some great present. examples of Drosera auriculata (sundew ) At last we reached the flat land on a dried We could look down on the forest we had up stream bed where, perhaps, the best walked up and it was easier to spot the was to come. large specimens of trees that had survived. Magnificent old Dicksonia fibrosa ferns stood gracefully along the way interlaced with Schefflera digitata. A North Island robin accompanied us. 5 Back on to the road and we wendered our way back to the cars. A great day for all, made even better with Litsea calicaris in background the sunshine and good company. Thanks to Paul for an excellent botanical outing. Drosera auriculata, Sundew, glistening in sun Magnificent twin trunks of Dicksonia fibrosa A grove of Schefflera digitata in dry river bed 6 Endangered Native Plant Garden December 2018 mulching the garden after the working bee. We At the July working bee it was very exciting to planted king fern (Ptisana salicina) and record that the rare and unusual native root Pimelea tomentosa for the first time, and also parasite Dactylanthus taylorii has established added more Pittosporum kirkii, Teucridium in the new threatened plant garden on Hillcrest parvifolium and Hebe speciosa. We found that road. Teucridium had self-seeded around an existing plant and we removed one Carmichaelia In May 2013 the Dactylanthus seed had been williamsii that had died. A fast-growing collected from Pureora Forest Park and sown Pomaderris apetala subsp. maritima in the around the base of some well established centre of the garden had fallen over and been Pseudopanax trees at the back of the removed, but has now resprouted from the threatened plant garden. These trees were base. Some other original plants have died in considered to be likely hosts for Dactylanthus the garden, but seeing as we have signage in and from previous experience the flowers were place these would be good to replace soon expected to take at least four years to emerge including Pimelea villosa, Lepidium following any successful seed germination and oleraceum and Sporadanthus ferrugineus. attachment to the host tree roots where the main part of the plant forms a tuber We also planted some additional rare plants underground.